Ever wondered what a mulch calculator is? What is it used for? Do you want to easily and quickly estimate the cost of mulching in your yard? What is mulching? How is mulching important to your plants? Knowing the amount of mulch you will need is the job of a mulch calculator. You do not want to be confused and find out that you have too much or too little mulch.
Mulch calculator
In the mulch calculator, you should enter the approximate:
- Length and width of covered area.
- Desired depth.
Then click calculate. It will tell you the approximate amount of material you will need. If the area of the landscape is known, a mulch calculator will help to determine the amount of topsoil, mulch, or gravel needed.
Mulching
When you add a layer of mulch to your planting beds, you benefit the plants. Mulch is used to cover the soil making your yard attractive and look neat. It is made out of leaves, bark, or compost.
Importance of mulching
- Inhibits growth of weeds.
- Conserves soil moisture by reducing evaporation.
- Improve your bed’s productivity.
- Improves organic matter present in the soil.
How to calculate the amount of mulch
- Which type of mulch should you use?
Choose the type of mulch depending on the mulch available in your local area and the plants you are growing.
- Find out the square footage of the area.
How big is the area that you want to mulch?
- Square footage of square or rectangular landscape = height x width.
- Square footage of circular landscape = 3.14(π) x Radius2
- The depth of the mulch layer.
The mulch layer should be 3 to 4 inches deep for shrub and tree beds. Thick layers restrict the flow of oxygen to the root zone. The mulch layer should be 1 to 3 inches in flower and vegetable gardens.
- Bagged and bulk mulch calculator formula.
- Bulk.
How can you determine the amount of mulch you will need when buying it in bulk? You should do the following:
- The bed’s square footage x inches of mulch on top.
- Divide the number by 324.
It gives you the amount of mulch you will need in cubic yards.
Figure out the amount of mulch you need when buying mulch by the bag.
Multiply the bed’s square footage with the following numbers depending on the depth of mulch that you want to achieve.
- 1 inch = .083
- 2 inches =.167
- 3 inches = .25
- 4 inches = .33
- 5 inches =.417
This calculation gives you the amount of mulch needed in cubic feet.
Conclusion
Mulching is an essential chore for every gardener to maintain good health for their plants. Mulching inhibits the growth of weeds, conserves soil moisture, and improves soil’s organic matter. The mulch calculator makes it easy and quick to determine the amount of mulch needed to cover your landscape. You need to enter the square footage of the landscape and the desired depth to be covered and click calculate. To calculate the amount of mulch you will need, you should consider the type of mulch you want to use, determine the area’s square footage, find out the depth of the mulch layer, and use either bulk or bagged mulch calculator formula to determine the amount of mulch needed in cubic yards or cubic feet.